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Shoji Washida
History Shoji Washida: 1551 - Present Born into the Washida clan during the height of the Sengoku Period in Japan, Shoji was trained from birth to be a skilled Samurai. His father, Makoto Washida, and the head of the Clan, was a cohort to the daimyo of the time. The elder Washida was a master swordsman and claimed to be chosen by Susano-o, the Shinto deity of the sea and storms. As a young samurai, the dream of unifying Japan was dear to Shoji, as was the worship of the Shinto Kami. However, everything changed during the razing of Mount Hiei. Shoji's father was mortally injured, but before he passed on, he gave his son a dying gift: the Amulet of Summer Storms. This amulet was passed down in the Washida clan for generations and was imbued with the blessings of Susano-o, enhancing the wearer’s strength and speed, in addition to giving them the powers of the mythical Storm Dragon. Shoji was chosen to be next Washida to bear that honor. After burying his father, Shoji used the amulet to become one of the greatest warriors in Nobunaga's army. After Nobunaga's death at Honno-ji, Shoji traveled to the Kumano Shrine, one of the most important shrines to Susano-o, to plead with the Kami to give him the strength to avenge Nobunaga. To his surprise, the Kami appeared and gave him the wisdom to step aside from the conflict and let nature take its course. Further, Susano-o tasked him with protecting the legacy of the Kami and to wait for when he would be called upon again. The rapid political changes in Japan worried the deity and wanted a champion to make sure Shinto worship survived. Susano-o told Shoji that he was losing power, as most deities were but the god still had enough power to enhance the Amulet of Summer Storms to provide immortality to the wearer. After this divine encounter, Shoji took revenge on Nobunaga's killer and then faded into obscurity for centuries, only moving to America sometime after World War II. Despite how angry he was at America for bombing Japan, he followed Susano-o’s advice to let it all pass and let the world change once more… And so he has. I heard rumors he may have been working as a sushi chef in Coast City recently but he is confirmed to be working with the Cadre of the Immortal in Argentina.Oracle Files: Shoji Washida Threat Assessment Resources * The Amulet of Storms: Shoji derives much of his powers from this talisman, given to him by the deity Susano-o. While Shoji usually wears the talisman on his person, there are confirmed accounts of him displaying his abilities without the talisman on him. It may be possible that he derives his powers from this talisman during some daily or weekly ritual and not directly from the talisman at all times. ** Immortality: Shoji does not age and seems to recover from most injuries with both haste and little complication or scarring. It is likely he can still meet a violent end, but his resilience and durability seem to skew toward supernatural levels. ** Aerokinesis: Using the power of Susano-o, Shoji can summon gusts of wind, control the weather, and cast forth lightning from his hands and blade. ** Flight: Using his ability to control wind, Shoji can lift himself into the air for short duration. This is clumsy and unnatural for Shoji however and as a rule he generally uses this more for assisted leaps of considerable distance and to cushion his landings from great heights rather than proper flight. ** Hydrokinesis: Shoji can also control water, summoning rain and snow by tapping the moisture in the air or causing a sudden freeze to take hold by lowering the temperature in the ambient air vapor. Shoji cannot conjure water or use the moisture in a human body (Susano-o forbids such a tactic apparently) but near any body of water, he should never be underestimated. ** Swimming: By combining his control of air and water, Shoji can propel himself underwater at alarming speeds and maintain a bubble of air around his person as well as one or two others. I suspect this is the primary means of travel Shoji uses when he wishes to travel in secret while avoiding a paper trail. ** Peak Physical Condition: As the Amulet delays his aging, it also maintains his body in peak physical condition. His resiliency and durability are off-the-charts and enhanced through mystical means, which allows him to push his body even harder which has allowed him to exceed the physical abilities he had in mortal life to make him a world-class athlete in nearly every fashion. Shoji is likely able to keep pace with Olympic runners, if not actually exceed their ability due to his Amulet preventing his muscles from degrading over time. * Master Swordsman: Shoji is a world-class swordsman. I suspect he is just as skilled, or more so, than excellent fencers such as Tatsu Yamashiro, Slade Wilson, and Wonder Woman. * Experience Weaknesses * Sword: It should be noted that while he has a very fine and insanely sharp weapon, his sword is not mystically enhanced in anyway, contrary to belief. I cite this as a weakness as Shoji seems to favor using his blade over his more dynamic abilities. If one could disarm him (good luck) or destroy his sword, Shoji would likely be very upset and that could open an opportunity to throw him off his groove. * Honor: Though he has done many questionable things, Shoji usually finds way to justify what he does as a means to an end. However if one can cause him to see that he is truly in the wrong, Shoji's honor would likely demand he make amends, or at the very least cease from his actions to seek out the counsel of Susano-o before continuing on his course.Deluxe Oracle File: Shoji Washida Trivia and Notes Trivia * Shoji Washida first made the acquaintance of the Thaumaturgist during the 1930's and 1940's, during several trips to Germany. * During World War II, Shoji joined no army but he was no stranger to the battlefield. I have found a lot of evidence that show Shoji was an active independent party in the conflict, fighting alongside the Japanese forces or carrying injured Japanese soldiers to safety, only to disappear as mysteriously as he had arrived in the first place. At least once, he infiltrated a U.S. aircraft carrier to sabotage equipment to give his Japanese comrades a tactical advantage. Notes * Shoji Washida is an original character created by Nitasu987. Links and References * Appearances of Shoji Washida * Character Gallery: Shoji Washida Category:Characters Category:Original Characters Category:Nitasu987/Creator Category:Cadre Members Category:Villains Category:Immortality Category:Flight Category:Japanese Category:Mercenaries Category:Peak Human Condition Category:Aerokinesis Category:Hydrokinesis Category:Male Characters Category:Black Hair Category:Brown Eyes Category:27th Reality